LaHood, Schock Spar Over Prospects For High-Speed Rail

PEORIA, Ill. (CBS) — Want to know if high-speed rail plays in Peoria? It depends on which Peorian you ask.

In remarks prepared for a speech last month, U. S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said to “forget the critics and naysayers” of high-speed rail.

LaHood can find a big-name naysayer almost within walking distance of his own home: his own successor in Congress, U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL).

“Taking the train from 70 mph to 90 mph is not high-speed train, in the minds of my constituents,” said Schock, referring to plans for the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, on which trains are supposed to operate at 110 mph. “Can we afford a billion dollars a mile of true high-speed? The answer is a resounding no.”